This invention relates to a body support apparatus and in particular to a support pad having inflatable and deflatable cells and an inflation and deflation control therefor.
The benefits of body support apparatus utilizing support pads or mattresses having inflatable and deflatable cells are well-known. These benefits include the improvement of the blood circulation and thereby the comfort and health of the person being supported by varying the support points of the person's body and the providing of a massage to the body to also improve blood circulation and comfort.
There are, however, several drawbacks to the presently available types of inflatable and deflatable body support apparatus. One of these drawbacks is the use of two separate sets of air support cells with individual cells of each set positioned alternatingly in a side by side manner. In these arrangements, one set of cells is inflated while the other set of cells is deflated and then the procedure is reversed. Obviously, the cost and complexity is increased by the need for two separate sets of inflated cells. A U.S. Pat. No. 2,719,986 to Rand is illustrative of such a dual cell arrangement. In Lapidus U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,083, there is illustrated as one of the embodiments an arrangement in which there are two sets of inflated cells but with only one of the sets of cells being alternately inflated and deflated. The second inflated set of cells remain continuously inflated and contain a strip of flexible tubular material in each separate cell to establish a bottom limit to the depressing movement of a body on the support pad. Due to the dual cell structure and the inclusion of the flexible tube support, the Lapidus structure is also relatively complicated.
A further drawback of the present types of body support apparatus is that the inflation and deflation control devices for the support pads are quite complicated. The Rand U.S. Pat. No. 2,719,986, referenced above, is illustrative of such a control.